Abstract
The purpose of this paper is to consider the successive changes in “Prophetic medicine” on the East African coast. “Prophetic medicine” is medicine that is based on the words of the Qur’an and hadith, in addition to the medical practices of the Prophet Muhammad’s era. In Zanzibar (Tanzania), there are two types of Prophetic medicine, “uganga (traditional healing practice)” and the “medicine of the Sunna.” While the practice of uganga contains Islamic and various other elements, the practice of the medicine of the Sunna excludes those elements that the practitioners believe are un-Islamic. The practice of the medicine of the Sunna has become active since the 1990s with the idea of interpreting the Qur’an and hadith literally, Ansaar Sunna. The supporters of Ansaar Sunna reformed uganga and began to practice the medicine of the Sunna for themselves.
There are four reasons why the medicine of the Sunna is actively practiced on the East African coast today. First, the medicine of the Sunna fits the idea of today’s “true Islam,” as it follows the Qur’an and the hadith literally. Second, the medicine of the Sunna not only treats the problems of jini, but also addresses the practices of Islamic daily life. Third, people can easily access the information by themselves and begin to practice the medicine of the Sunna. Fourth, because some teachers also conduct classes to train practitioners, everyone has an opportunity to become a practitioner of the medicine of the Sunna.
